Several ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman-era artifacts were discovered during excavations in Ihnasya Al Madinah, on the left bank of the Nile River, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced on Sunday.
Ihnasya, also known by its Greek name Heracleopolis (“City of Heracles”) served in antiquity as the capital of Upper Egypt’s 20th nome.
In Ancient Egyptian, the city was known as nn nswt, meaning “Child of the King.”
One of the discoveries included a cartouche bearing the raised inscription of both the throne and birth name of Pharaoh Senusret III, the fifth king of the 12th Dynasty of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom.
A second cartouche bearing the name of Osir-Naref, a local form of the Egyptian god of the dead, Osiris and one of the primary dieties worshiped in ancient Ihnasya.
Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the discovery of Senusret’s cartouche is highly important, as it confirms the city’s sacred status during the Middle Kingdom.
Remains of Roman basilica, Doric temple found
Archaeologists also unearthed the ruins of a Roman basilica that served as a public building during the Ptolemaic period before being converted into a Church during the early Christian period.
The remains of a 6th century Doric temple were also found at the site.
Mohamed Abdel-Badie, Head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that initial investigations of the ruins showed that several of its stones were used in the foundation and load bearing columns of the basilica.
In the basilica, the stones were laid out in a seemingly irregular manner to bear the weight of the columns, some of which are estimated to weigh approximately 45 tons.
Three of the columns remain in their original position.
Also found during the excavation was a marble head belonging to a statue of the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
The head shows “facial features and curly hair in a style reflecting the classical artistic characteristics common in statues of deities and prominent figures during that period,” Badie explained.
Wall statues and remains of pottery molds used for minting coins, dating to the Roman period, were also found at the site.
Of these, Dr. Sami Dardiri, Head of the Central Administration for Middle Egypt Antiquities, sqaid that they reflected the city’s status during the Roman period and the “continuation of its cultural and economic prosperity.”
Dardiri added that archaeologists are currently working to study the artifacts and determine their precise dates.
The discoveries highlight “the great historical value of the Ihnasya al-Madina area and reflect the cultural and civilizational diversity Egypt witnessed throughout different eras,” said Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy.
First near-complete ancient Egyptian funerary set discovered at Heliopolis
Also on Sunday, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced that a near-complete ancient Egyptian funerary set was recently discovered during archaeological excavations at the Panhesy Tomb within the ruins of the ancient city of Heliopolis.
Heliopolis, one of ancient Egypt’s oldest cities, sits today within the Ain Shams and El Matareya districts of northeastern Cairo.
In antiquity, it served as a primary religious center for the worship of Ra - indicated by the Al-Masalla obelisk of the Temple of Ra-Atum, originally erected by Pharaoh Senusret I of the 12th Dynasty.
The funerary set was found underneath a mud-brick burial containing human remains, according Leithy.
It is the first near-complete set to ever be found in the area, according to the ministry.
Leithy added that a copper mirror, two alabaster kohl vessels fitted with lids and still containing kohl residue, as well as a third kohl vessel made of black obsidian, were also found beneath the burial.
The discovery further provides insight into the “daily life and funerary practices of the region’s inhabitants across successive historical periods,” said Fathy.